It is true the Romans had a cuftom of chufing a Dictator, during whofe adminiftration the Power of other Magiftrates was fufpended; but this was done upon the greateft emergencies; a War near their doors, or some civil Diffention: For Armies must be governed by arbitrary power. But when the Virtue of that Common-wealth gave place to luxury and ambition, this very office of Dictator became perpetual in the perfons of the Cæfars and their Succeffors, the most infamous Tyrants that have any where appeared in ftory.

Thefe are fome of the fentiments I had, relating to public affairs, while I was in the world: what they are at prefent, is of little importance either to that or myself; neither can I truly fay I have any at all, or, if I had, I dare not venture to publifh them: For however orthodox they may be while I am now writing, they may become criminal enough to bring me into trouble before Midfummer. And indeed I have often wifhed for fome time paft, that a political Catechifm might be published by authority four times a year, in order to inftruct us how we are to fpeak, write, and act during the current quarter. I have by experience felt the want of fuch an inftructor: For, intending to make my court to fome people on the prevailing fide, by advancing certain old whiggifh principles, which, it feems, had been exploded about a month before, I have paffed for a difaffected perfon, I am not ignorant how idle a thing it is, for a man in obfcurity to attempt defending his reputation as a Writer, while the fpirit of Faction hath fo univerfally poffeffed the minds of men, that they are not at leisure to attend to any thing elfe. They will just give themfelves time to libel and accufe me, but cannot fpare a minute to hear my defence. So in a plotdifcovering age, I have often known an innocent man feized and imprisoned, and forced to lie feveral months in chains, while the Minifters were not at leisure to hear his petition, until they had profecuted and hanged the number they propofed.

All I can reasonably hope for by this letter, is to convince my friends, and others who are pleafed to wifh me well, that I have neither been fo ill a Subject nor so stupid an Author, as I have been reprefented by the virulence of Libellers, whofe malice hath taken the fame train in both, by fathering dangerous Principles in government upon me, which I never mantained, and infipid Productions which I am not capable of writing. For, however I may have been foured by perfonal ill-treatment, or by melancholy

melancholy profpects for the public, I am too much a politician to expofe my own fafety by offenfive words. And, if my genius and fpirit be funk by increafing years, I have at leaft enough of difcretion left, not to mistake the meafure of my own abilities, by attempting fubjects where those Talents are neceffary, which perhaps I may have loft with my youth.

of

Dublin, Jan. 8, 1722-3.

Oming home after a fhort Christmas ramble, I found a letter upon my table, and little expected when I opened it to read your name at the bottom. The best and greateft part of my life, until thefe laft eight years, I spent in England; there I made my friendships, and there I left my defires. I am condemned for ever to another country: what is in prudence to be done? I think to be oblitujque meorum, oblivifcendus et illis. What can be the defign your letter but malice, to wake me out of a fcurvy fleep, which however is better than none? I am towards nine years older fince I left you, yet that is the leaft of my alterations; my business, my diverfions, my conversations, are all entirely changed for the worfe, and fo are my ftudies and my amufements in writing; yet, after all, this humdrum way of life might be paffable enough, if you would let me alone. I fhall not be able to relifh my wine, my parfons, my horfes, nor my garden for three months, until the fpirit you have raised fhall be difpoffeffed. I have fometimes wondered that I have not vifited you, but I have been ftopt by too many reafons, befides years and lazinefs, and yet thefe are very good ones. Upon my return after half a year amongst you, there would be to me Defiderio nec pudor nec modus. I was three years reconciling myself to the fcene, and the bufinefs, to which fortune hath condemned me, and ftupidity was what I had recourfe to. Befides, what a figure fhould I make in London, while my friends are in poverty, exile, diftrefs, or imprisonment, and my enemies with rods of iron? Yet I often threaten myself with the journey, and am every fummer practifing to get health to bear it: The only inconvenience is, that I grow old in the experiment. Although I care not to talk to as a Divine, yet I hope you have not been author of your colic

you

colic do you drink bad wine, or keep bad company? Are you not as many years older as I? it will not be always Et tibi quos mihi dempferit Apponet annos. I am heartily forry you have any dealings with that ugly distemper, and I believe our friend Arbuthnot will recommend you to temperance and exercife. I wifh they could have as good an effect upon the giddinefs I am fubje&t to, and which this moment I am not free from. I fhould have been glad if you had lengthened your letter by telling me the present condition of many of my old acquaintance, Congreve, Arbuthnot, Lewis, etc. but you mention only Mr. Pope, who I believe is lazy, or elfe he might have added three lines of his own. I am extremely glad he is not in your cafe of needing great men's favour, and could heartily wish that you were in his. I have been confidering why Poets have fuch ill fuccefs in making their Court, fince they are allowed to be the greatest and best of all flatterers: The defect is, that they flatter only in print or in writing, but not by word of mouth: They will give things under their hand which they make a confcience of fpeaking. Befides, they are too libertine to haunt antichambers, too poor to bribe porters and footmen, and too proud to cringe to fecond-hand favourites in a great family. Tell me, are you not under Original fin, by the de-. dication of your Eclogues to Lord Bolingbroke? I am an ill judge at this distance; and befides am, for my eafe, utterly ignorant of the commoneft things that pafs in the world; but if all Courts have a famenefs in them (as the Parfons phrafe it) things may be as they were in my time, when all employments went to Parliament-men's Friends, who had been useful in Elections, and there was always a huge Lift of names in arrears at the Treafury, which would at leaft take up your feven years expedient to discharge even one half. I am of opinion, if you will not be offended, that the fureft course would be to get your Friend who lodgeth in your house, to recommend you to the next chief Governor who comes over here for a good civil employment, or to be one of his Secretaries, which your Parliament-men are fond enough of, when there is no room at home. The wine is good and reafonable; you may dine twice a week at the Deanry-houfe; there is a fet of company in this town fufficient for one man; folks will admire you, because they have read you, and read of you; and a good employment will make you live tolerably in London, or fumptuously here; or if you divide between both places, it will be for your health.

I wish I could do more than fay I love you. I left you in a good way both for the late Court, and the fucceffors; and by the force of too much honefty, or too little fublunary wisdom, you fell between two ftools. Take care of your health and money; be lefs modest and more active; or elfe turn Parfon and get a Bishopric here: Would to God they would fend us as good ones from your fide! I am ever, etc.

LETTER VII.

Mr. POPE to Dr. SWIFT.

Jan. 12, 1723.

Find a rebuke in a late letter of yours, that both ftings and pleafeth me extremely. Your faying that I ought to have writ a Poftfcript to my friend Gay's, makes me not content to write lefs than a whole Letter; and your feeming to take his kindly, gives me hopes you will look upon this as a fincere effect of Friendship. Indeed as I cannot but own the Laziness with which you tax me, and with which I may equally charge you, for both of us have had (and one of us hath both had and given *) a Surfeit of writing; fo I really thought you would know yourself to be fo certainly intitled to my Friendfhip, that it was a poffeffion you could not imagine ftood in need of any further Deeds or Writings to affure you of it.

Whatever you feem to think of your withdrawn and feparate ftate at this diftance, and in this Abfence, Dean Swift lives ftill in England, in every place and company where he would chufe to live, and I find him in all the Converfations I keep, and in all the Hearts in which I defire any fhare.

We have never met these many years without mention of you. Befides my old Acquaintance, I have found that all my friends of a later date are fuch as were yours before: Lord Oxford, Lord Harcourt, and Lord Harley may look upon me as one entailed upon them by you: Lord Bolingbroke is now returned (as I hope) to take me with all his other Hereditary Rights: and, indeed, he feems grown fo. much a Philofopher, as to fet his heart upon fome of them as little, as upon the Poet you gave him. It is fure my ill fate, that all thofe I moft loved, and with whom I moít

Alluding to his large work on Homer.

lived, must be banished: After both of you left England, my conftant Hoft was the Bishop of Rochester. Sure this is a nation that is curfedly afraid of being over-run with too much Politenefs, and cannot regain one great Genius, but at the expence of another. I tremble for my Lord Peterborow (whom I now lodge with) he has too much Wit, as well as Courage, to make a folid General: and if he efcapes being banished by others, I fear he will banish himself. This leads me to give you fome account of the manner of my life and converfation, which has been infinitely more various and diffipated, than when you knew me and cared for me; and among all Sexes, Parties, and Profeffions. A Clut of Study and Retirement in the first part of my life caft me into this; and this, I begin to fee, will throw me again into Study and Retirement.

The civilities I have met with from oppofite Setts of people, have hinder'd me from being violent or four to any Party; but at the fame time the Obfervations and Experiences I cannot but have collected, have made me less fond of, and lefs furprized at, any: I am therefore the more afflicted and the more angry at the Violences and Hardships I fee practifed by either. The merry Vein you knew me in, is funk into a Turn of Reflection, that has made the world pretty indifferent to me; and yet I have acquired a Quietnefs of mind which by fits improves into a certain degree of Chearfulness, enough to make me juft fo good humoured as to wish that world well. My Friendfhips are increafed by new ones, yet no part of the warmth I felt for the old is diminished. Averfions I have none, but to Knaves (for Fools I have learned to bear with) and fuch I cannot be commonly civil to; for I think those men are next to Knaves who converfe with them. The greatest Man in power of this fort fhall hardly make me bow to him, unless I had a perfonal obligation, and that I will take care not to have. The top pleasure of my life is one I learned from you both how to gain and how to ufe the Freedom of Friendship with men much my Superiors. To have pleased great men, according to Horace, is a praife; but not to have flattered them, and yet not to have displeased them, is a greater. I have carefully avoided all Intercourfe with Poets and Scriblers, unlefs where by great chance I have found a modeft one. By thefe means I have had no quarrels with any perfonally;

Dr. Atterbury.

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